The Plans of a Buffoon-Minister

Published:Proletary, No. 23, October 31 (18), 1905.

      Published according to the text inProletary.Source:Lenin
	  Collected Works,

      Progress Publishers,1972,

      Moscow,Volume 9,

      page410.Translated:The Late Abraham Fineberg and Julius KatzerTranscription\Markup:R. CymbalaPublic Domain:Lenin Internet Archive

      (2004).You may freely copy, distribute,
	display and perform this work; as well as make derivative and
	commercial works. Please credit “Marxists Internet
	Archive” as your source.•README

Togain a better understanding of today’s politics, it is sometimes worth while
to look back at yesterday’s. Here is what the usually well-informed
correspondent of the LondonTimescabled from St. Petersburg on October
10 (23):

"Froma high source I learn that the government has resolved to grant the
four liberties demanded by the reformers, subject, however, to restrictions. It
is hoped that this concession will rally the Moderates. Count Witte yesterday
had a long conference on the subject with the tsar. Mr. Goremykin is drafting a
measure for endowing peasants with state lands. This will be placed on the table
when the Duma meets. It is thereby hoped to conciliate the peasant vote."Suchbriefly is the government’s plan of campaign. It apparently excludes
the intention of voluntarily granting a constitution before the meeting of the
Duma, although some hope of this prevails among the
Constitutional-Democrats. One of the principal points to be discussed at their
Congress on Wednesday will be with regard to the action of the party in the
event of a constitution’s being granted on or before the assembling of the
Duma—namely, whether the party shall consent in that case to work in the
Duma or insist upon the convocation of a constituent assembly elected by
universal suffrage.“Thesupporters of the bureaucracy hope that the concessions which will be
granted by the government will at last check the constitutional movement without
an extension of the suffrage or an endorsement of the legislative character of
the Duma, but all the indications are the other way.”

"Froma high source I learn that the government has resolved to grant the
four liberties demanded by the reformers, subject, however, to restrictions. It
is hoped that this concession will rally the Moderates. Count Witte yesterday
had a long conference on the subject with the tsar. Mr. Goremykin is drafting a
measure for endowing peasants with state lands. This will be placed on the table
when the Duma meets. It is thereby hoped to conciliate the peasant vote.

"Suchbriefly is the government’s plan of campaign. It apparently excludes
the intention of voluntarily granting a constitution before the meeting of the
Duma, although some hope of this prevails among the
Constitutional-Democrats. One of the principal points to be discussed at their
Congress on Wednesday will be with regard to the action of the party in the
event of a constitution’s being granted on or before the assembling of the
Duma—namely, whether the party shall consent in that case to work in the
Duma or insist upon the convocation of a constituent assembly elected by
universal suffrage.

“Thesupporters of the bureaucracy hope that the concessions which will be
granted by the government will at last check the constitutional movement without
an extension of the suffrage or an endorsement of the legislative character of
the Duma, but all the indications are the other way.”

Indeed,the government’s “plan of campaign” is clear. Equally clear
to all people who have eyes to see is the “campaign” of the
Constitutional-Democratic gentry, who arebargainingwith the
government. There is only one snag:
the working class is stirring, and stirring in such a way that all the ingenious
plans of both Mr. Witte and the Constitutional-Democrats are crumbling to dust.